Thursday, May 29, 2014

From Charles Manson to O.J,
Michael Jackson to the Son of Sam, the drawings of courtroom artists
capture the most dramatic, and sometimes the most moving and fleeting,
images of the biggest trials of modern times.

In
1970, Charles Manson was tried in a Los Angeles courtroom for the
murder of actress Sharon Tate, then eight months pregnant, and six other
women. With no photographers allowed, the public relied on the words of
reporters, describing the gruesome details and decisions held within
the sanctified walls. For the really theatrical moments, however, the
action was conveyed in illustrations by a group of courtroom artists
capturing the drama the world may have never seen.

Aggie
Kenny drew 9/11 Responders searching for victims at Ground Zero in the
months after the attack on the World Trade Centers. Her artwork was
shown at the New York City Police Museum, and traveled to the US Senate
Russell Building in Washington DC.

Bill Robles painted this illustration of the NYPD and other responders rescuing in the passengers and crew of US Airways flight 1549 that landed miraculously into the Hudson River on a frigid January day. This illustration was shown at the New York City Police Museum,

It's the talk of the town. Abel Ferrara's
highly-anticipated movie inspired by the sordid sex scandal that brought
down IMF chief Dominique Strauss-Kahn got its world premiere Saturday
in Cannes.

Far from being shown in one of the big, plush theatres in the
festival hall, the film starring Gerard Depardieu as a man with striking
similarities to "DSK", whose alleged 2011 sexual assault on a New York
hotel maid shook the world, was screened in a small, local cinema."Do you know who I am?" reads the poster advertising the film
"Welcome to New York", as a handcuffed, suited man seen from behind
faces flashing photographers with the gleaming lights of New York in the
background.

Artist note:
Almost exactly three years ago on a Sunday just like this, I received a call from my assignment editor at CNBC telling me to get to the Manhattan Criminal Courthouse asap. The head of the IMF Dominique Strauss Kahn, had been arrested for sexually assaulting a hotel maid. This, like other stories I've covered like Bernie Madoff, sounded crazy. We waited for over 12 hours in the criminal court arraignment part, and finally at about 10pm we were told the arraignment of DSK would take place the following day.
The following day, he was arraigned in a packed courtroom and I caught this scene of him awaiting his processing sitting with the other inmates.

DSK Awaiting arraignment with inmates.

Then on Thursday his wife, Anne Sinclair arrived for a bail hearing in front of Judge Obus upstairs in the supreme court part of the Manhattan Criminal Courthouse. During the hearing Sinclair looked in utter shock. As DSK turned around to look at his wife and daughter, the daughter smiled, the wife, holding hands w her daughter, stared straight ahead. He was finally granted bail and took up residence in a Tribeca townhouse with his wife. Eventually charges were dropped and he went back to Paris.

The initial hearing when Ann Sinclair and daughter came into court, this hearing is highlighted in the recent courtroom art book, The Illustrated Courtroom.

The drawing to the left in process, while DSK walks by the artist, going back into the lock-up during a courtroom recess

The photo by Richard Drew of the AP, reproduced on the front page of the New York Times business section